Q: You recently had a quote from Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D. that said his meta analysis came to the conclusion that single-joint and multiple-joint exercises were equal in their ability to produce muscle mass. What do you think [biomechanics expert and Drug-Free Mr. Universe] Doug Brignole would’ve said about that?
A: Actually, I think the analysis came out before Doug’s death, and he did comment.
I believe he said that he didn’t buy it. He firmly believed that single-joint, or isolation, exercises are better—if they meet the ideal biomechanical qualifications.
Although he did consider the dumbbell decline press as the ideal for chest—and that’s a compound move.
But even if isolation and compound exercises are equal, why would you choose the heavier, more dangerous multi-joint, or compound, exercise?
While Doug makes a good point, I’m a proponent of variation in muscle fiber recruitment. I think different exercises can have unique effects on fiber activation and area-specific muscle development.
Studies verify that, but I’m also a big proponent of Doug’s ideal exercises. I think they are the most biomechanically correct and should be emphasized for the most size…
That’s how the Old Man, Young Muscle workout is constructed, and it’s worked incredibly well for me in my early 60s.
Most of the ideal exercises that lead off each muscle routine in the OMYM workout are isolation. But you follow them with other less-than-ideal moves for the variation in recruitment.
And sometimes those add-on exercises are compound, such as dumbbell squats for quads or under-grip rows for back.
Bottom line: Emphasize an ideal exercise for size, but use add-ons for variation and extra mass creation.
GROW like never before: Get the complete Stretch-First POF Pre-Ex Workout as well as the Base-STX Workout, which both include the ideal exercise for each muscle and the best stretch and contracted add-on moves for mass, in Old Man, Young Muscle.
And you still get The Muscle-On, Belly-Gone “Diet” ebook FREE for a limited time when you add Old Man, Young Muscle to your mass-building library. Go HERE.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman
Former Editor in Chief, Iron Man Magazine
www.X-Rep.com
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Plus, it can help bodybuilders get freaky ripped faster than ever (see the pic of the 69-year-old who is shredded at the link below).
Remember, when you’re leaner, you look bigger than ever… And best of all, your body can MAKE this fat-blasting enzyme by eating these specific foods… and they taste GREAT.
Our colleague, the man who owned the gym that Lou Ferrigno trained at in “Pumping Iron,” turned us onto this. He’s using it himself to shed fat faster than ever, and he’s in his 50s. Get the details and see his photo HERE.